Impacting Celaya

We have worked for almost three years to find the "resources in the harvest" but for one reason or another we have found very little. As our first term is coming to an end we have seen God work among the Pastors and Leaders in our region. While we would still like to see more new works in Celaya, we are attempting to focus on the good that does exist among the churches and the work that they have accomplished in the ranches and municipios surrounding Celaya. The mentality of Celaya's churches are similar to many in our own country as they would prefer multiplying by division than a Spirit led planting movement. I cannot hold that against them as it is what they have had in their DNA for years. We continue to celebrate all that God has done in our work and the lives that have been impacted.
Now we pray that God continues to impact the leaders of the city and take their vision beyond the walls of the church to where the people are. We need to invest in people with little concern for whether they are going to tithe to our church. Jesus had a compassion for the people that motivated him beyond an organizational perspective. Oh, that I would not allow a paycheck decide where I go and how I share the good news with people.

Chinese Rednecks?

For those with sensibilities, I read this in an email for preachers called Preaching Now:

Who would have guessed that they have rednecks in China?

A Sept. 20 Reuters story tells the story of Zhang Xinyan, a Chinese migrant worker who had a little too much to drink -- four jugs of beer, to be precise -- then went to the nearby Beijing Zoo. Feeling a sudden urge to touch a panda bear, he jumped into the panda enclosure and startled Gu Gu, a sleeping bear, who proceeded to bite the 35-year-old man's leg.

At that, Zhang got angry and kicked the panda, who then bit his other leg. So the man tried to bite Gu Gu in return. "I bite the fellow on the back," Zhang told a local newspaper. "Its skin was quite thick."

Zookeepers subdued the panda by spraying it with water, and Zhang was taken to the hospital. He told a reporter he had seen pandas on television and "they seemed to get along well with people. No one ever said they would bite people. I just wanted to touch it. I was so dizzy from the beer, I don't remember much."

By the way, I understand that next season NBC will have a situation comedy called, "My Name is Zhang."

Fun stuff

Actual label instructions on consumer goods:

On Sears hairdryer:
Do not use while sleeping.
(Gee, that's the only time I have to work on my hair!)

On a bag of Fritos:
You could be a winner! No purchase necessary. Details inside.
(The shoplifter special!)

On a bar of Dove soap:
Directions: Use like regular soap.
(and that would be how?)

On some Swann frozen dinners:
Serving suggestion: Defrost.
(But it's just a suggestion!)

On Tesco's Tiramisu dessert (printed on box bottom):
Do not turn upside down.
(Too late! You lose!)

On Marks & Spencer Bread Pudding:
Product will be hot after heating.
(Are you sure? Let's experiment.)

On packaging for a Rowenta iron:
Do not iron clothes on body.
(But wouldn't that save more time?)

On Boot's Children's cough medicine:
Do not drive car or operate machinery.
(We could do a lot to reduce the rate of construction if we just kept those 5 year olds off those fork lifts.)

On Nytol sleep aid:
Warning: may cause drowsiness.
(One would hope!)

On a string of Chinese-made Christmas lights:
For indoor or outdoor use only.
(As opposed to use in outer space.)

On a Japanese food processor:
Not to be used for the other use.
(Hmm, now I'm curious.)

On Sainsbury's peanuts:
Warning: contains nuts.
(but no peas?)

On an American Airlines packet of nuts:
Instructions: open packet, eat nuts.
(have lobotomy)

On a child's Superman costume:
Wearing of this garment does not enable you to fly.
(That's right, destroy a universal childhood fantasy!)


(from the Humorama newsletter)

Not in Kansas anymore!

Many think Mexico is just a southern version of the USA, then we read things like this. Michoacan is about 3 hours from us and 30 minutes from friends of ours.

Michoacan Beheadings Continue
September 07, 2006 10:02 AM EST

By Sher Zieve – Five human heads are reported to have been thrown into a bar in Michoacan, Mexico on Wednesday night. The heads were said to have been tossed onto the floor of the bar, by armed masked men, where people were dancing.


The masked men shot rounds into the air and shouted for everyone in the bar to lie down on the floor. A note left with the heads is said to read: "The family does not kill for money. It does not kill women or innocent people. Those who die are those who must die. Everyone should know that this is divine justice."

These beheadings are in addition to thirteen other decapitated bodies found this year in Michoacan, which are believed to have been affected by drug dealers. However, the note's term “divine justice” is said to have additional terroristic undertones that may relate to something more than just a drug cartel.

La Fea mas Bella

For my gringo friends out there, this means "the prettiest ugly girl." It is one of the most popular Mexican soap operas out right now and it is hilarious! This professional "La Fea" is completely different from everyone around her, yet she has this strange appeal to those in the show as well as those who watch.
Sometimes we feel like "La Fea mas Bella" as we live our lives and share the good news in Celaya. There is a love/hate relationship with the USA/Mexico in which there is a mutual respect, but there is also a jealousy that few admit that tends to cause problems at times. I have always been mindful of the need for those in Christian service to have thick skin, but the mission field has reinforced that beyond my wildest dreams. We have seen attacks from so many directions that we rarely know who our friends are. Jesus said it well when he said that he does not entrust himself to any man because he knows what is in a man. Wow! How do we live without entrusting ourselves or being vulnerable at times? It requires a balance, but life is going to hurt...it hurt Jesus to the point of the cross.
I am reading a good book that is challenging much about what we think of church and churchy things that we do: Organic Church by Neil Cole.
The first Christian church on the history books resulted from 300 years of work. Why can't we wait at least ten before we rush to build buildings?
In the children's book Frog and Toad Together the example is given of how we tend to labor in all of the wrong things when it is actually (the seed)God who does the work in His time. (p.84) Much of the work that we do is chasing after the wind when the true work is waiting for the Lord in prayer and living among the people so that they might see Christ in us and know him.
That is enough for now. Look up "La Fea mas Bella" online if you want to see pictures of what I have been writing about. (I chose not to put them on my blog due to copyright laws.) Keep praying for Celaya!
Ciao!

Make a Run for the Border?

Growing up I always loved that theme from one of my favorite fast food taco places in the states. Now it has a whole new significance. As a missionary to Mexico I have found that we are caught on hostile ground with both countries. When we are in Mexico, there are those who choose to blame us for the actions on the border and when we are home, we shoulder the burden of defending those to whom God has called us to mininster to. It is a precarious place to be to say the least. (I don't use the word "precarious" very often, I hope that it is spelled correctly!) One of the best things that we have read on the subject was from a guy that works with Chuck Colson's organization, Prison Fellowship, in which he made the point that one of the things that makes our country great is that we have established laws and enforced them. It sounds really simple, but living in a country in which the police cannot be trusted and are often bribed has given us a whole new appreciation for this characteristic of our country. So am I on the side of the USA in this matter? No, I would not say that either. It is hard to choose sides as we see that there have been many benefits from those who have labored in my country and assisted our economy. I believe that if we are going to hire and utilize the labor, we should be willing to assist with things like healthcare and schooling as part of the package. We have become very prideful at times as Americans and have overlooked Jesus' call to us to care for the poor among us. I believe that extends worldwide and not only in our "poor" neighborhoods in the USA. It is very sad that many of those who leave their families for work in the states leave for such extended periods of time. Many families have suffered because of this tendency as well. A good pastor friend of mine in Celaya has counseled his men not to go to the USA because they may not find any better life there and their family needs them in Mexico. There are whole neighborhoods in our city that have few if any men because they all have gone to the USA.
I feel as if I am rambling a bit, but you can see how complicated this has become. Unfortunately, there are many that we work with in Mexico who are uneducated and at times can become very passionate about the subject, so we would continue to ask your prayers as we strive to show the love of Christ and stay away from politics. The press is extremely biased and the people have a very limited view of the whole situation. The problem extends all the way to the President of the country who continues to fight for immigration rights when he should be fighting to make his country greater so that people would not want to leave.
Well, I have said enough. I hope that you have found motivation for prayer and compassion for those in your midst who are immigrants. It has become a difficult issue and continues to worsen. Please keep us and our children in your prayers.
Perfect love casts out all fear.

Who do you say that I am?

"Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known Me, Philip?"

Every type of work that I have ever had in my life has been fairly simple in terms of defining the objective. From cutting grass to bookkeeping, they all have not needed much explanation as I tried to explain to people what I did. Now I find myself identifying with Jesus. After two years, various sermons, and newsletters we continue to face a lot of ignorance about why we are here. As frustrating as this can be, we must continue to focus on what our call is and pray that God will give light as we continue to serve Him. We arrived in Celaya with a great desire to work with the churches, but it soon became apparent that the work outside of the church was to consist of missions points outside of the city. People/Pastors from the churches have cast dispersions upon our work saying that when we leave the works will die. I wonder if Paul had the same experience with the religious community in his day. I see so much pomp and circumstance in the celebration of Easter and then I see Jesus. He took time to sit with women at wells, demoniacs, and even temples of people who were not his followers. He did not worry about people's baggage or the way they were dressed. He just loved people. How much of our celebration of Easter is really about Jesus? Has anyone taken the time to ask Him how He would like us to remember His sacrifice? I choose to commemorate the day of the Resurrection this year looking upon the lost masses and asking Jesus how we can share the good news of His love with them. Lets set aside the fluff and tell everyone we can beginning with our children what Jesus did for us. Ask Jesus what he wants us to do differently as we live lives of worship. As our muchacha once said, "We shouldn't just go to church like a bunch of burros."

Fleeting thoughts

A former employer of mine has a newsletter that always includes some interesting illustrations and true stories. Since my link section is not working on the old blog, I will just paste it in here: http://www.preaching.com/preaching/preachingnow.html

There were a couple of parts that I wanted to share:
In a recent edition of his TIPS newsletter, Philip Humbert writes, "Harry Truman didn't find a career until late in life. He didn't marry until well into his thirties, and before that he tried a variety of jobs and ventures, including farming and selling men's clothing. His clothing store went bankrupt and he referred to himself as a 'failed haberdasher' for the rest of his life. Because of poor eyesight, he barely made it into the Army, but served with distinction and courage in World War I. In his 40's and 50's he drifted into politics and served as a county commissioner, mainly dealing with road repair.
"He never had money and he and his wife spend most of their married life living upstairs in his mother-in-law's home. When he was elected to the U.S. Senate, he was seen as a party hack and given little respect. In 1944, Franklin Roosevelt selected him to run for Vice President after the 'better' candidates were all rejected. FDR thought so little of him, they never had a serious conversation and Truman was told nothing about the atomic bomb until several days after he was sworn in as the new President.
"And yet this 'common man' is often viewed as one of the greatest Presidents of the 20th century. How can this be? Truman himself often said that there 'are probably a million people more qualified than me to be President, but I'm the one with the job, and I'll do my best.' Throughout his life, he was always known for doing his best, and often astonished people by exceeding their expectations. Here are some of my observations about how he did it.
1. First, he out-worked everyone around him. FDR rarely got to work before 10:00 AM, but Truman was usually up by 5:30 and worked all day long. In his first days as President, the change caught the White House staff off-guard. From the butlers to members of the Cabinet, they had never seen anyone who worked so hard and demanded such from them. One key to his amazing success was simple hard work.
2. Second, he was decisive. Where FDR delayed and avoided decisions, Truman listened to advice, read the reports, made decisions promptly, and once they were made, he rarely changed his mind. He made bold decisions and once made, he knew how to hold a steady course.
3. Third, his personal integrity was beyond reproach. At the Potsdam Conference after the war, he went into Berlin and a staffer suggested they could go drinking or get some 'women of easy virtue,' to which Truman coldly responded that he loved his wife and didn't mess around on her. He kicked the staffer out of his car and never spoke to him again.
4. Fourth, he knew the value of loyalty. He was famous for his life-long friendships and personal warmth. He knew the names of staffers in the White House, and remembered their families. When members of his staff came under political fire, he ignored the newspapers and kept his team together.
5. Fifth and most important, he knew who he was. In the face of enormous pressures and criticism, Truman knew his goals and purposes, remained firm in his beliefs and seldom wavered. He had enormous personal courage and quiet confidence in his own judgment.
"Sooner or later, life confronts each of us with problems that seem beyond our abilities and asks us to meet them anyway. Whether from illness or business gone bad, or in some other form, eventually we must dig deep to see what we are made of. These 'impossible' challenges reveal our character and give us the opportunity to surprise ourselves. President Truman did it, and so can we." (Copyright © 2006, all rights reserved. Contact Humbert at http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=vuuavubab.0.jspisnbab.9nnikbbab.12966&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philiphumbert.com or email to Coach@philiphumbert.com)

And then on a less serious note:

Some aspiring psychiatrists from various colleges are attending their first class and the professor is lecturing on emotional extremes.
"Just as an example," says the professor to one student from a major urban university. "What is the opposite of joy?"
"Sadness," says the student.
"And the opposite of depression?" he asks of a young lady from an Ivy League college.
"Elation," says she.
"And you sir," he says to the young man from an agricultural institution. "How about the opposite of woe?"
The aggie replies, "Sir, I believe that would be giddy-up."

Buenos Tacos y Hasta Lasagna!

The Strategy of Prayer

Someone once said that prayer is the Christian's secret weapon. The more that I serve and live, I can see that prayer is the missionary's secret weapon also. I am amazed by all of the "strategies" that exist in missions circles. If you follow these ten steps then you should see a CPM (Church Planting Movement). It was the same sentiment when Rick Warren's book came out and my fellow seminarians were eating it up. None of these things are intrinsically bad, but they can distract if we do not keep the primary focus on Christ. Where I serve people pray to Mary because she has "special pull" with Jesus to get what they want. It is essentially a manipulation of Jesus by the use of his Mother. We also witnessed again this week the Holy week celebration in which people pay to suffer for their sins. I know, I know, why suffer to celebrate something in which the suffering was already completed. You will have to study your Catholic theology for that one, because I cannot explain it biblically. Anyway, whether your baptist or something else, we need to always keep Christ at the center as Matthew 6:33 teaches. I find myself longing for us to set aside our programs and focus on the basics of the faith. I saw this week several needs and concerns that God took care of as we worked with our friends from Goldsboro, NC. Is that to say that everything was perfect? No, far from it. We had illness attacking us from every side, but we remained faithful to what God had called us to. A friend lovingly has implied that we are not doing something right. While we know that we are not perfect, we also did not sense that what we were going through was punishment from God. Some people laugh at the idea of bringing a team from far away to come and pray, but we saw God raise up people of peace and break some really hard ground. We prayed for an area that is going to host a medical clinic in August and we think that we found a host that is not going to charge us for his facilities. We prayed for various needs through the week and God answered our prayers in some incredible ways.
So what idol will I turn to when I need God's direction for our city? What program or ten step method? I think I will stick with praying for His divine appointments, direction, and people of peace as I seek to serve Him in our city. That just makes the most sense to me. It may not make me famous, sell books, win me a promotion, or even see overwhelming response, but I cannot resist the feeling that anything less would just be another form of idolatry.

Strategically serving Him,
Craig

The flying bull

This was an ad that resulted from an incident that happened in Mexico at a bull fight. "The Little Bird" as the bull was named, practically flew across all barriers into the audience! We are constantly reminded of how God has protected us from intoxicated people who have fallen in front of our van, bad drivers in general, wild farm animals, packs of dogs, and even flying bulls. We did not make that exposition, but are mindful of all that God has done in these three years of service outside of the USA.
The ad above is actually a joke that refers to the fact that the guys did not spill their beer in escaping the bull. We face people every day who are staring bulls in the face and we are worried about finding mac and cheese or grape jelly for our kids! God help us to be burdened for the lost of Mexico at the expense of our personal comfort.

Deeper Still

I once read a quote by Corrie Ten Boom that read, "There is no pit so deep that God is not deeper still." The pit of our first term on the mission field at times has been incredibly deep. Our children suffered repeat illnesses in Costa Rica causing many late night treks in search of a taxi at 2a.m. to get us to the emergency room. Lori lost her Mother to cancer while we were in Costa Rica also. We arrived in our new country of service to experience various robberies. Our children also have suffered strange illnesses to the extent that Lydia was in the hospital for three days. Now we have nearly lost our children and someone tried to break in our house one night after we moved to a "safer" area. So do I write all of this to say "poor me?" No, I write all of this to say that God is sustaining us. Through many prayers, email, calls, and even visits we are being renewed. I don't understand it all fully except to say that it has been a God thing in our lives. Some view us as heroes of the faith, but we prefer to just be seen as faithful. Emotionally, so much has transpired that we have wanted to scream at times. Yet every turn (teaching A Purpose Driven Life, listening to online sermons and a Beth Moore study, and time in God's Word) seem to contribute to keeping us on track.
So what has God said? He has chosen to remind us over and over that our faith is not based upon feelings, but promises. We must choose to stand upon the promises of God when the hurricane of doubt threatens. That is not what our flesh has wanted to do, but it has been what we have known to be the RIGHT thing to do.
Jacob has been speaking to us through our studies to remind us that when we wrestle with God He may allow us to win, but we may still walk with a limp. In a sense, we trust that nothing happens to us (or our children for that matter) outside of God's reach and purposes. So having wrestled with God about the safety of our children as we serve, we have resolved that all of our emotions do not change our call. We have said with Job, "Though he slay me, yet shall I praise Him." We won this battle as we can still kiss our children goodnight, walk down to watch the train, and walk the dog to the vet. That does not mean that we don't have a limp. I cannot explain all that our limp entails now, but we trust God to heal in His time.
The Apostle Paul listed a laundry list of challenges that he faced in one of his letters and at the end he noted that one of his greatest burdens was for the churches. We continue to be burdened for the churches that we are working to start as well as existing churches. We are amazed by the spiritual warfare in the Bajio due to the great amount of lostness in this area. The things that I have mentioned here are only the tip of the iceberg when thinking about the work here!
Keep praying, giving, and going.
Listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches (not the buildings, but the body of Christ!)

Anointed Waiting

How did so many people in the Bible wait so long to see God work in their lives, families, and/or surroundings? Some spent 40 years herding sheep or something other than preaching and actively serving their God in what we would call "ministry." Even Jesus himself spent his first 30 years working as a carpenter and waiting for the appointed time. We have been on the mission field for two years and are beginning to see breakthroughs, but what a long two years. It seems as if the floodgates are opening and we are seeing doors open in ways that we never expected. One lady who received Christ about 3 months ago has started her own Purpose Driven Life study and is close to starting a second in an area that we had been praying for. Another family, very religious, have expressed an interest in meeting with us one night per week to learn more about God's purpose for their lives. In this family there are two business owners who potentially could touch many lives. There seems to be story after story, door after door that is opening to the gospel, because we have hurried up and waited. We have weathered various storms including the loss of Lori's Mother to cancer so that we could serve in such a time as this. Rick Warren wrote in his book "The Purpose Driven Church" that serving God was like riding a wave. You can't really take credit for it, you just are there being faithful. How incredible it is to ride the wave that we have been given!

I've Arrived!

Well I have finally arrived among the hip crowd. . .I have my own blog! I know, it really is not that big of a deal, but somehow I hope that it can be used to bring glory to the name of Christ. Some may be wondering about the name: Taco Assassin. It is not original. . .unfortunately. It originated here in Celaya just around the corner with a small taco restaurant that serves tacos made in a style derived from Mexico City. What I like about them is that they are different, original for these parts, and inexpensive. That pretty much sums up who I want to be as I share Christ with people. I want to be different, because the religion that they know here has not impacted their lives. I want to be original because the same old approaches to things have not worked thus far in reaching our city for Christ. I want to be inexpensive? Yes, inexpensive in that I do not take advantage of the people to build large, ornate buildings while some live in cardboard shacks. While our grace is not cheap (it cost Jesus a great deal of sacrifice), it is free for any person who will receive Christ as Savior.